Tuesday, 28 February 2017

* This post was written in collaboration with Yorkshire Linen Co. All words and views are my own.

The leaves are getting greener and the flowers are starting to bloom, that can only mean one thing. Spring is right around the corner. It feels like this cold season has lasted forever and to be honest, I'm so over winter quilt covers, cinnamon candles and all things cosy. This spring I'm all about wanting my house to feel and look refreshed so yesterday I decided to make a start with my bedroom.

Now the first thing I that comes to mind when I think of spring is white and we all know I'm a huge fan. So, I tossed my thick winter duvet cover into storage and opted for this crisp white number. Personally I love having a white duvet as it brings more light into the room and allows me to mix and match other items like the lamps and pillows. If you're looking for a great quality white duvet, Yorkshire Linen Co have some great ones to offer.

Next, I switched out my candles. I've had the same Yankee Candle wax met burning since around November and I'm so glad to see the back of it. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the Christmas Eve scent but as we're nearing the end of February, I don't think it's very relevant. As I'm not the biggest lover of heavy floral scents in the bedroom I opted for a tobacco candle and the Mococo Damson Noir. Two very different scents but absolutely lovely for spring.

Lastly I gave my voile's a spring wash just to make sure they were squeaky clean. I absolutely love voile's as an alternative to curtains as they're not as heavy and they let so much light into the room. As we've only got one small window in our bedroom this was an absolute must when we moved in. We have a black out blind on the actual window for those sleepy mornings and two voile's like these, again from Yorkshire Linen Co, draping over some curtain tie-backs. Curtain tie-backs were a great option as I didn't want the voile's dragging on the floor, I was after more of a floating effect. Yorkshire Linen Co have a great selection on offer - I think tie-backs definitely help to dress the window and add the finishing touches to a room ready for spring.

I hope this has given you a little bit of inspiration for refreshing your room or home this spring. I'll definitely be working on other rooms in the coming weeks so if you'd like to see what I do or if you take on the idea yourself, please let me know!

Monday, 13 February 2017

I honestly thought about writing some Valentines posts this week but, truthfully, my partner and I don't really 'celebrate' Valentines Day. We do things together all year round - gigs being some of our favourite outings. It's only February but we're starting to plan our gig calendar for 2017 and we've ended up with quite a satisfying list of shows we're already attending or ones we definitely hope to. Here's a little round up so far:-

Who: Deaf Havana

What: An alternative rock band showcasing their latest album, All These Countless Nights, their first album since 2013.

Where: Manchester Ritz, February 17th

Who: Mallory Knox

What: The best alternative rock band to come out of Cambridge with their new album, Wired, dropping on March 10th.

Where: O2 Academy Liverpool, April 1st

Who: Set It Off

What: A five piece rock band from Tampa, FL spotted by All Time Low's Alex Gaskarth way back in mid-2000s.

Sunday, 12 February 2017

Hello my budding little savers, I hope you are all well.
Since my first money
saving post was so popular (literally my
most viewed post ever), I thought it only right to throw another 5 tips your
way to make 2017 the year we all finally have a few spare pennies.

Only buy necessitiesDon't
spend money on things you don't need. I'm applying this more to your weekly
shop. For example, I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the supermarket
and planned on a £30 shop that has turned into £65. I now make sure I always
write a list before hand and stick to it. Better still, do your shopping
online, this way you'll be less tempted by items on the end of the aisle.

Save £1 or £2 coins Now
I'm a big lover of saving 1p and 2p coins because over time they do mount up
however as I rarely carry cash it can sometimes be months before I've even
reached £1 in my change jar. I decided that because me having change was such a
rare thing, when I did have it I'd save a greater amount. I started with £2
coins and even though I don't come by them very often, in about 3 months I had
over £50. Genius.

Make a budget sheet Budget sheets can be as simple or as complicated as
you like depending how well you can use a spreadsheet. I would say start simple and work your way up. Start by
listing all of your outgoings, total them at the bottom and minus that total
from your salary or wage. (I'm sorry if that makes no sense. If you'd like
to know more about what's on my sheet and how I calculate everything, let me
know.) I've managed to navigate my way around the spreadsheet enough to have my
holiday running totals on there which are altered by whatever I'm going to
choose to put towards them. It also has my savings account total which again is
altered by what I'm going to contribute. It's also colour coded hehe.

Sell unwanted clothes on Depop or Ebay I mentioned this in a previous post and I firmly believe that if you haven't
worn it in six months to a year then get rid of it. Especially if you can tell
you'll never wear it again. Sort your wardrobe out entirely and take out
everything that you want to get rid of. You can then decide whether it's going
to friends, charity or for sale. I use a mix of Ebay and Depop to
sell my clothes as they can reach completely different demographics. They're
both simple and easy to use so make an account and away you go.

Separate your savingsI
just had the one savings account for years but it became hard to allocate money
to different things and I'd forget how much I added for what. My bank allows
you to have multiple e-savings accounts and you can rename them depending on
what they're for. It's well worth looking into it and finding out if your bank
offers a similar service. If you don't bank online, withdraw the money and use
tins or containers to sort the money. Easy.

And there you go, another 5 money saving tips. If
there's anything you like to do to save, let me know!